1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arm gear for protecting a wearer from the force of a blow during karate practice, police training or other martial arts activity and, more particularly, to a device with a central section designed to protect a wearer from the force of blows to the forearm and with front and rear sections configured to protect a wearer from the force of blows to the hand and elbow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While engaging in martial arts activities such as karate, whether practicing or participating in tactics training, an exhibition, demonstration or the like, a practitioner uses his hands, fists, arms, feet, or weapons to inflict blows upon another's head and body including the arm region. These blows may result in an injury to the receiver of the blow unless the force of the blow is lessened prior to physical contact. Such lessening may be achieved either by the receiver wearing protective gear or by the practitioner delivering less than full blows, i.e., pulling punches. During karate exhibitions, demonstrations, or the like, spectator appeal of the sport would be diminished if the delivery of the blows had to be restricted in order to avoid injury. Additionally, the benefits of practicing tactics such as may be required by police and military personnel and the value of simulation training or the like would be minimized if repeated blows could not be fully delivered by the practitioner to another, such as a colleague, coach or the like. As can be readily understood, protective gear is the preferred solution. Such gear should not only protect the wearer from injury, it should also allow the person practicing the martial arts or tactics training to repeatedly deliver full blows and thus improve his skills. In the case of police baton training, for example, the gear should permit blows to be deliveed with nightsticks with force which approximates that needed for real life use by officers in the streets.
In an attempt to provide effective protection for the wearer, particularly for the arm region, a number of proposed protective devices have been designed and are available commercially. To achieve the primary objective of safety, any such device must afford superior protection to the wearer. Because of the strenuousness of the activity by the wearer while using any such protective device, it must be lightweight and cover only areas requiring protection so as to minimize any weight burden. It must also permit freedom of movement so that the user may effectively participate in the activity as intended.
Typical devices designed in an effort to achieve these objectives are described in the patent literature exemplified by Reinfandt U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,196; Allen et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,272 Rhee U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,190,902, and 4,300,543 . Each of those prior devices provides some protection to the wearer but at the same time causes some unnecessary inconvenience. Some of these prior devices combine protective foam with heavy, rigid material thus causing an added weight burden to the user without an equivalent benefit. Others cover insufficient portions of the wearer's arm so that inadequate protection is provided. Others cover more of the wearer's arm than necessary which increases cost and body heating. Yet others unnecessarily limit the wearer's freedom of movement.
As illustrated by the large number of prior devices, continuing efforts are being made in an attempt to solve the problem of designing protective, lightweight, unencumbering, economical arm gear. None of the known devices, however, discloses or suggests the present inventive device as disclosed herein. The present invention achieves its purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior approaches through a new, useful and unobvious device, at a reasonable cost, and through the utilization of only readily available materials.